1 » As they await their opponent for the 2010 NCAA Super Regional likely to be hosted at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL, members of the No. 4 Florida Gators baseball team are on notice as the three-day 2010 MLB Draft begins Monday night at 7 p.m. Seniors outfielder Matt den Dekker and closer Kevin Chapman will likely be selected somewhat early in the process, especially considering it can go up to 50 rounds. Also poised to be picked at some point are seniors pitcher Jeff Barfield and outfielder Jonathan Pigott, junior second baseman Josh Adams, and redshirt sophomore pitchers Tommy Toledo and Justin Poovey. There are four other seniors on the Gators’ roster whose names could potentially be called. Unlike football and basketball, being eligible for or selected in the draft as an underclassman does not ruin eligibility; said player is not forced to hire an agent, sign a contract or leave school.

2 » Denver Post columnist Mike Klis took a different perspective on Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels’ decision to draft former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, saying he may be just what the team needs to finally equal or surpass the San Diego Chargers and their signal caller, Phillip Rivers. Here is an excerpt from Klis’ piece:

In Tebow, McDaniels believes he has a quarterback who can eventually match Rivers. Maybe not pass per pass, but play per play.

It’s too much to expect Tebow to keep up with Rivers this season. But maybe by 2011, Tebow can stare down Rivers and mix in 190 yards passing with a touchdown and 55 yards rushing with another touchdown. There’s the offset to the typical Rivers game against the Broncos.

Before he can beat Rivers, though, Tebow has to win over his locker room.

“When you earn respect from people, then they begin to like you, and then they believe in you, and then they begin to love you, and then you have a team that is united and cares about each other more than anything else,” Tebow said in a backroom session with The Denver Post. “And then you go out there and you play for each other, you play for your coaches and you win championships.”

Tags: baseball, Denver Broncos, Draft, Jeff Barfield, Jonathan Pigott, Josh Adams, Josh McDaniels, Justin Poovey, Kevin Chapman, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, MLB, NCAA, NFL, Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, Super Regional, Tim Tebow, Tommy Toledo

1 » Former Florida Gators defensive end Bobby McCray, now with the New Orleans Saints, laid out Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner during the second round of the NFL Playoffs on Saturday. OGGOA has the video.

2 » Plenty of former Gators will be in action Sunday as the second round of the NFL Playoffs continue. Linebacker Brandon Siler and defensive tackle Ian Scott will be lining up for the San Diego Chargers, New York Jets‘ cornerback Lito Sheppard will be trying to shut down the Chargers’ deep threats and wide receiver Percy Harvin will see action in the early game as one of Brett Favre‘s top targets on the Minnesota Vikings against the Dallas Cowboys.

3 » Barely missing a triple-double for the New York Knicks Saturday was former Florida forward/center David Lee. Finishing with 26 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, Lee has been tearing it up in New York over the last two seasons. Lee is averaging career-highs in minutes (36.9), points (19.3), assists (3.3) and steals (1.1) this season while also grabbing 11.2 rebounds per game; he has all the makings of an NBA All-Star.

4 » The decision that former Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez made to declare for the 2010 NFL Draft may turn out to be a wise one. But one choice Hernandez made that is already paying dividends was that of attending Florida instead of the University of Connecticut. “I feel like it was the best decision I made,” Hernandez told the Hartford Courant. “It made me grow up a little bit, get away from family and friends. The coaches were great coaches and they were great people, and I just don’t think anything could have gone better.” When did Hernandez decide to leave school? “I kind of planned toward the middle of the season, because I felt like I wanted to move on and enter a new part of my life,” he said. “Really, as the season went on, I just wanted [it] more and more.”

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, All-Star, Arizona Cardinals, Bobby McCray, Brandon Siler, Brett Favre, Dallas Cowboys, David Lee, Draft, Ian Scott, Kurt Warner, Lito Sheppard, Minnesota Vikings, NBA, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, New York Knicks, NFL, Percy Harvin, Playoffs, San Diego Chargers

1 » Former Florida Gators wide receiver Riley Cooper will join teammate quarterback Tim Tebow in Mobile, AL, on Jan. 30 after accepting an invitation to the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl. Cooper was Florida’s leading receiver in 2009 with 961 yards on 51 catches while also accounting for nine touchdowns. Senior Bowl practices throughout the week, as well as the game itself, will be televised by the NFL Network.

2 » Gators thrower Mariam Kevkhishvili, a three-time NCAA Champion, broke a Georgian national record and Florida indoor school record in the women’s shot put during the Kentucky Invitational on Saturday at E.J. Nutter Fieldhouse. In addition to Kevkhishvili’s astounding feat, other Gators achieved promising results at the event. Florida, in total, scored two NCAA automatic-qualifiers, accounted for four provisional-qualifying marks and won three events in 48 hours. Read more about the Gators track & field team’s accomplishments this weekend.

3 » One of the few remaining Gators in the NFL Playoffs, San Diego Chargers defensive tackle Ian Scott has gone through a tumultuous two seasons with the team having been signed, released and then re-signed by the Chargers in a 13-month period. In fact, he even considered moving his entire family back to Gainesville, FL, at one point. The Gainesville Sun’s John Patton caught up with Scott and put together a nice feature article on the former Florida standout.

4 » The No. 6 men’s and No. 7 women’s Gators swimming and diving teams (7-0, 2-0 SEC), (8-2, 2-1 SEC) were victorious after turning in 159-118 and 163-122 wins over the Florida Atlantic Owls Saturday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Sebastien Rousseau led the way for the men with an NCAA provisional mark in the men’s 200-yard butterfly (1:47.97) while senior Liz Kemp stood as a beacon for the women by taking home the 1,000-yard freestyle title (10:05.29).

Extra Bit » If you thought former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin‘s departure created a ruckus, check out this video of the school’s Sports Information Department trying to settle down the clearly ticked-off media…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Cooper, shot put, Scott, swimming

Tags: diving, E.J. Nutter Fieldhouse, Florida Atlantic Owls, Ian Scott, Lane Kiffin, Liz Kemp, Mariam Kevkhishvili, NCAA, NFL, O'Connell Center, Playoffs, Riley Cooper, San Diego Chargers, Sebastien Rousseau, Senior Bowl, swimming, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow

With the regular season wrapping up Sunday night, the participants in the 2009 NFL Playoffs have now been determined. There are seven Florida Gators with roles on their squad’s active rosters among the 12 teams competing to appear in Super Bowl XLIV. OGGOA has put together a comprehensive list of these players.

Continue Reading » Florida Gators in the 2009 NFL Playoffs

Tags: Andre Caldwell, Bobby McCray, Brandon Siler, Cincinnati Bengals, Fred Taylor, Ian Scott, Lito Sheppard, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, Percy Harvin, Playoffs, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XLIV

1 » Two former Florida Gators players had strong showings in the NFL on Sunday, and both are recent alumni from the defensive side of the ball. Second-year defensive end Derrick Harvey of the Jacksonville Jaguars recorded a sack in his second straight game even though his team fell to the Miami Dolphins while third-year linebacker Brandon Siler dominated the middle for the San Diego Chargers against the Dallas Cowboys. Siler recorded five tackles on the day (two for a loss) and one sack. He was also instrumental on a number of goal-line and fourth-down stands. Other Gators who contributed this weekend were LB Mike Peterson of the Atlanta Falcons (eight tackles), wide receiver Jabar Gaffney of the Denver Broncos (three receptions for 48 yards) and Andre “Bubba” Caldwell of the Cincinnati Bengals (four catches for 25 yards).

2 » Looking to nab a trifecta of players from Dwyer High School in West Palm Beach, FL, Florida set their sights on bringing three-star cornerback Robert Clark into the fold during his official visit this weekend. Clark, who said prior to his visit that he was leaning towards the Gators until the loss of recruiting coordinator Billy Gonzales had him open up the process again, met new wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni and came away impressed. “[Azzanni] was great,” Clark told Rivals. “I already knew him from camp because he worked the camp [in Gainesville]. He’s a great guy. He taught me a lot of things so it was good to meet him again. [The coaches] didn’t really talk about [Gonzales] much [this weekend]. It was kind of sad that he left but at the same time they had to move on and stuff and get a new coach. He’s pretty energetic. He likes to hop around a lot. He was hyped up.” Though he is not considered “solid,” Clark is currently committed to the West Virginia Mountaineers; even so, he has decided to make his decision official before the Class 4A championship game this Saturday.

UPDATE: “Florida['s visit] is the best visit I’ve been on by far. I’m not gonna lie,” Clark told The Gainesville Sun. “It’s hard because I’m kind of committed to West Virginia, right now, but I love Florida more than I love West Virginia.” Clark also told The Sun that the shorter distance and better weather are much more appealing to him.

Tags: Andre Caldwell, Atlanta Falcons, Billy Gonzales, Brandon Siler, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Derrick Harvey, Dwyer, Florida Gators, Jabar Gaffney, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Mike Peterson, NFL, Robert Clark, San Diego Chargers, West Virginia Mountaineers, Zach Azzanni